Waiting for the MillenniumThe United Nations and the Future of World Order

J. Martin Rochester

In the wake of public debate over the future of the United Nations and the likelihood that it will assume the leadership role for which it was designed, Rochester examines the constraints and opportunities surrounding global institution-building. Specifically Rochester argues that the U.N. has the potential to serve as the centerpiece in a "new world order."

Rochester's study explores one of the most challenging puzzles of our time—the global coordination of security, economic, and ecological problem-solving at a time when guidance might be harder than ever to achieve. Arguing that societies will remain almost universally wedded to the traditional state system while technical advances in communication and growing economic interdependence will increase the need for better-managed interstate relations, Rochester offers an empirical analysis for reviving the effectiveness of the U.N. and international organizations in general.

J. Martin Rochester is associate professor of political science and fellow of the Center for International Studies at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Author of several books, he has served as department chair and president of the International Studies Association (Midwest).